Car parking systems



May 24, 1955 s. MAURER 2,709,008

CAR PARKING SYSTEMS Filed Nov. 24, 1952 INVENTOR SAM MA URER 4 Max/L ATTORNEY United States Patent CAR PARKING SYSTEMS Sam Maurer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as-

signor of one-half to Paul A. Seidel, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application November 24, 1952, Serial No. 322,247

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-161) My invention relates to improvements in car parking systems.

The objects of the invention are to provide a car parking system in which the greatest number of cars can be accommodated on a given parking lot area; to provide that any car may be parked or returned to a given loading and unloading place by one operator, so that the starting of a car when brought to the point of delivery is undertaken by the owner; to provide for the placement of parking units, each capable of parking a number of cars, in very closely spaced side by side relation, and a still further object is to provide a system wherein a single operator can operate a number of separate units and receive or deliver cars much more rapidly than the operators of the convention pigeon hole type of storage system. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the invention showing a unit.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of one track, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional plan view of the bull wheel and drive, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the swinging movement of a platform at the loading and unloading terminal of a unit.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail view of the bull sprocket and its mounting.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally one complete unit of the car parking system, which consists of a pair of parallel tracks 2 having longitudinal support members 3,

see detail in Figure 2, fitted with side rails 4 and transverse end members 5 and 6. The end member 5 is abutted with a ramp 8 and angularly disposed deflector rails 9 are provided between each of the members 5 and 6 and one end of the side rails 4, as shown in Figure 1.

Each of the support members 3 is fitted with freely rotatable dead rolls 11 which serve to support a plurality of platforms 12. A further roller 13 extends completely across both tracks 2 adjacent the ends of the unit along which the platform slides when moving from one track to the other. The platforms 12 are connected together at spaced intervals by a cable or a chain 14, thus forming a conveyor 15. Each platform 12 is connected to the chain 14 by a centrally disposed pin 17 which extends downwardly and is adapted to be engaged by a bull sprocket 18. The hull sprocket 18 is mounted to rotate upon a short vertical shaft 20 carried from a longitudinal member 21 between the side rails 4, see Figures 1 and 3. The bull sprocket is provided on its lower face with a depending rim which serves as a sheave 22 for the chain 14 as it passes around the bull sprocket. A chain sprocket 23 is provided below the sheave 22 and is preferably integral therewith.

2,709,008 Patented May 24, 1955 An arched structure 25 is erected transversely of the unit 1 adjacent its loading and unloading end, which supports a vertical shaft 26 extending downwardly to the longitudinal member 21. The shaft 26 is driven at a suitable speed from a motor 27 which is reversible and is under the control of the operator. A drive sprocket 28 is secured upon the lower end of the shaft and is connected by a chain 29 to the chain sprocket 23 to drive it, and the conveyor 15.

Adjacent the rear end of the unit is a centrally disposed longitudinal member 31 which is fitted with a rod 32 extending through the end member 6. The rod is threaded and fitted with a nut 33 to form an abutment for a coil spring 35 surrounding the rod outside of the end member 6. The longitudinal member 31 carries a freely rotatable sprocket 36 about which the conveyor chain 14 is trained. The member 31 is mounted for slight longitudinal movement and the spring 35 serves to maintain a proper tension on the chain and give somewhat to allow the conveyor load on one side of the unit to start moving in advance of the load on the other side, so as to reduce materially the starting torque and to allow a motor of lesser torque to be used than would be necessary if the coupling between all the platforms were rigid and free from elastic tension. An upstanding pin 37 is carried at the outer end of the member 31 to be engaged by a platform 12 as it reaches the end of its run.

Each platform 12 is provided at opposite ends with a centrally located substantially V-shaped notch 38 and an upstanding pin or tooth 39 is provided in a central position on the longitudinal member 21 and immediately beyond the transverse end member 5, so that as each platform is brought to the loading and unloading ramp 8, as shown in Figure 1, its forward end is held against sidewise movement and its inner end is in position to swing transversely from one track to another.

In operating the device, a car may be run onto the platform 12, which in Figure l is shown abutting the ramp 8, and its brakes applied. The operator starts the motor 27 which imparts movement to the chain sprocket 23 and the bull sprocket 18 and causes the conveyor 15 to move say in a clockwise direction. The car laden platform 12 will swing about its pin 17 until its inner end swings transversely and approaches an outside side rail 4, during this movement the said platform will be come detached from the upstanding pin 38, so that further movement of the platform will result in its becoming aligned with its adjacent side rail and cause it to follow along its track towards the end member 6. As one platform becomes aligned with one track the platform approaching the opposite end of the unit becomes aligned with the longitudinal centre of the unit with its notch 33 in engagement with the pin 37 and as the pin 17 of said platform swings around the outer end sprocket 36 this platform will move over to the other track 2 and start to approach the loading end of the unit. As the next vacant platform approaches the loading end of the unit its pin 17 engages the bull sprocket 18 and its forward end contacts a deflector rail 9 so that said end swings transversely and the pin 39 enters the notch 38.

The platforms instead of being brought to rest in alignment with the unit to load or unload, as shown in Figure 1, may be brought to either of the positions shown in solid and in dotted lines in Figure 5, which would reduce the necessary turning movement onto a platform to somewhat less than ninety degrees.

When a car is called for which may be parked in a position remote from the ramp 8, the conveyor is set to run until the platform on which it is placed is brought to face the ramp.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A car parking unit comprising a pair of closely spaced horizontal parallel tracks each consisting of a pair of longitudinal support members and a side rail to one of said support members of each track, transverse end members extending between a longitudinal support member of each track, an angularly disposed deflector extending between said last named longitudinal support members and the transverse end members, an upstanding tooth disposed along the longitudinai axis of the pair of tracks adjacent the deflector, a drive and a driven sprocket mounted between the pairs of tracks adjacent their ends, means for imparting rotation to the drive sprocket, an endless chain trained around the sprockets, a plurality of platforms movable lengthwise of the tracks in spaced relation, each platform being connected to the chain by a central pin, each end of each platform having a V-shaped notch adapted to engage an upstanding tooth, said platforms being adapted as they move from one track to the other to have their leading edges contact a deflector and pivot about the adjacent upstanding tooth as the connecting pin of each platform passes around the edge of a sprocket.

2. A car parking unit comprising a pair of closely spaced horizontal parallel tracks each consisting of a pair of longitudinal support members and a side rail to one of said support members of each track, transverse end members extending between a longitudinal support member of each track, an angularly disposed deflector extending between said last named longitudinal support members and the transverse end members, an upstanding tooth disposed along the longntudinal axis of the pair of tracks adjacent the deflector, a transversely mounted roller extending transversely from the outer side rail of one track to the corresponding side rail of the opposite track, a drive and a driven sprocket mounted between the pairs of tracks adjacent their ends, means for imparting rotation to the drive sprocket, an endless chain trained around the sprockets, a plurality of platforms movable lengthwise of the tracks in spaced relation, each platform being connected to the chain by a central pin, each end of each platform having a V-shaped notch adapted to engage an upstanding tooth, said platforms being adapted as they move from one track to the other to have their leading edges contact a deflector and pivot about the adjacent upstanding tooth as the connecting pin of each platform passes around the edge of a sprocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,883,007 Sheel Oct. 18, 1932 2,619,240 Teason Nov. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 70,998 Sweden Nov. 16, 1928 719,154 Germany Mar. 30, 1942 

